It's For the best
by Kouralia
Summary: Zelda was pretty on the outside, but ugly within. She eats a weird fruit and ends up in another universe. 6 years she trains for a return trip. Becoming a better person in the process, and joining the strawhats was not on her to-do list!
1. Everything is normal

STORY STARTS AFTER THE LINE BREAK

Before I start, I guess I should give some kind of authors note. I want to get a few things straight.

1- One piece is not a manga or anime in this story, and therefore my oc does not know anything about the one piece world before she enters it.

2-I'm going to try my best to not make her a Mary sue, though because she's from the real world it's probably a lost cause XD I'll do what I can to tone down the sueness

3- I'm going to try and follow the canon storyline (with a few needed changes). Hopefully this will make it easier to write, since I'll know what direction the plot will be going. This also means that it will never end, because I'm following the super-long storyline

4- to the few people who want to see my other stories updated, I was having some problems with the next chapter of A New Life, so I took a break, and because of my renewed obsession with one piece, this idea was spawned. Don't worry, I don't plan on quitting any of my stories, I just like working on multiple so I can switch when I get frustrated.

* * *

The hallways of Bluelake Public School were full of laughing, chattering students. Kids were jostling about, and racing through the hallways towards the exit doors in the excitement that was recess. It didn't take long for the small school to be evacuated, as the several hundred children of the school made it to the spacious yard, and began to play.

Not everyone was outside, though. A lone child of ten years sat in a washroom stall. Her hair was long, straight, and black, fastened into a ponytail with a flower decorated hairband. Her eyes were golden brown, and her skin was pale, with a splattering of freckles. The young girl's clothes were plain and boring, simply a white tee shirt and loose jeans. She sat in the stall silently, as if hiding from someone.

And those 'someones' came. A group of three girls entered the washroom, chattering about nothing in particular. The leader of the group had medium length blonde hair, brushed behind ringed ears. Her skin was tanned a golden color, her eyes green-brown and her clothes frilly and pink.

The two girls behind her were similarly dressed. One had a similar shade of blonde, although it was shorter, and curled under her earlobes. Along that, came fair, pale skin that rivaled the hiding girl's, along with bright green eyes. The other was noticeably taller than the other two, and had dark red hair that waved down her back. Her skin was a healthy color, in between her two companions. Her eyes were large and blue. Despite the three of them being only 11, they were all wearing make-up.

The matching clothed girls wandered farther into the restroom. The leader briefly looked at the mirror, and adjusted her hair while the other two gazed about the room.

"Hey Bri!", the pale blonde called.

"Ya, Nicky?", the tanned girl answered.

" I think our new 'friend' is here."

The hiding child gulped. Hastily, she checked that the stall door was locked, and stood up on the toilet. She hoped that they would see there were no feet, and maybe give up. However, her hopes were dashed when the leader of the group spoke again.

"Zelly, can you see if anyone's on there?"

"Of course!" The taller companion walked into the neighboring stall, and also stood on the toilet. Due to her added height,she could peer over the divider, and immediately saw the younger child hiding on the toilet seat.

"You're right, Nicky. Mary's on the toilet seat.", she concluded dutifully. All three of the older girls smirked.

"You're not _hiding_ from us, are you Mary?" the red head added coldly. Mary visibly shivered. "Of course n-not, Zelda." she stuttered. Zelda raised her eyebrows, and slipped down again to join her two friends.

The leader took up the taunting. "Well, if you aren't hiding, why don't you come out? Don't tell me you're afraid of little old me."

After a few seconds, the ten year old got off the seat and opened the door nervously. She was obviously a shy person, making her a suitable target for the three older and more popular girls.

"Hello Brittany, Nicole, Zelda." She murmured quietly, inching towards the door. Brittany would have none of that though, and moved to block the exit.

" What's the rush Mary? We just want to talk a little.. maybe give some advice..."

" For starters, with hair like that, you should really put a better effort to make it look good. We might be able to get away with it, but... it doesn't quite work for you." Nicole started, pointing to Mary's black hair.

Zelda continued this. "Yes, that hairband has _got_ to go."and she held her hand out in front of the girl. Not wanting to anger the older children, Mary took the band out, and grudgingly gave it to the red head.

Brittany nodded approvingly, and stepped up to take the lead again. "Oh, this really needs to be cleaned. It's so _dirty_. When's the last time you showered?"

The younger girl didn't answer. The truth was that her hair was as clean as theirs was. Brittany shrugged, and walked behind Mary. She extracted a brush from her bag. "Well, I'll fix it up for you. This brush should do the job, though there's nothing I can do about your horrible case of dandruff."

"Wait, please! It's fine like this, really." Mary desperately tried to ward them off. But Zelda and Nicole each grabbed a shoulder, forcing her to her knees.

"It's for the best, Mary. You know you're our friend." Zelda whispered in her ear. The shy girl flinched back. Suddenly, Brittany brought her brush down on the girl's hair, causing her to yelp as the brush caught on a painful knot.

Tears gathered at Mary's eyes as the pretty blonde ruthlessly pulled at the knotted hair. "Wow, Mary. Have you ever even owned a brush? You can find them at the dollar store, you know. Even someone like you could afford it."

Nicole looked over the ten year old's clothes. "Well, I wouldn't be too sure. These clothes look like they came from a Charity Drive." The three bullies giggled at the comment.

After a few more minutes, the leader finished brushing the victim's hair. She scrutinized the brush, and making up her mind, dropped it on the floor in front of the younger girl. "I can't touch that anymore. How about you take it, then?"

"Oh, you're so generous, Bri!" Zelda complimented, her and Nicole leaving the girl's shoulders to join their friend near the door. The three looked at Mary expectantly, and Nicole finally said, "What do you say when someone gives you something?"

"Oh.. um-m.. thank...you." The girl said, still hiding her eyes completely. She picked the brush up, and struggled to stand.

The loud buzzing of the school bells rang out then, and Mary gave a sigh of relief as the three popular girls turned to leave. "See you tomorrow, Mary. You are our friend, after all." They giggled as they left the secluded bathroom for the rambunctious hallways, ignoring the sound of teardrops hitting the floor behind them.

* * *

Unfortunately this was a normal day for the school. It was relatively secret, but that's how the three popular girls spent their free time at school, at least, when they weren't trying to act older by flirting or refusing to play games.

They were the three popular girls at the school, often surrounded by the extended popular clique. The three of them practically ran the school, and everyone besides the teachers knew it. This made Brittany, the leader, queen bee at Bluelake public school.

Currently, it was around 7:30, Nicole and Zelda were over at Brittany's house for a slumber party. With them, were a few other lucky girls, who were currently favorable to the three girls. They had already eaten supper, and were hanging out in Brittany's room.

At first, the conversation centered around fashion. Brittany, Nicole, or Zelda would mention a piece of clothing, and point it out in the magazine. The rest of the girls would immediately agree with the girl's opinion.

Soon this gravitated into a heated game of 'Truth or Dare'. It was Zelda's turn now, and seeing the nasty dares, she hastily picked truth.

"Okay, then. Which boy do you like?" Brittany asked, grinning. As expected, she blushed and smiled slightly. The room was silent for a second, as it always was when someone knew they had to say something that they didn't want to.

"Well.. right now, it's Alex." Zelda said, tilting her chin up in an attempt to be dignified.

"Aww, Zelly! I knew it!" Hannah, one of the outsiders cooed. "He is pretty cute", Nicole confirmed.

"And now it's your turn, Claire." Zelda said, smirking evilly. Claire squeaked slightly, before resigning herself with a "Dare".

After daring the girl to lick a doorknob, Zelda set herself to twirling her wavy hair.

For an eleven year old, she had a lot of things on her mind. She had to worry about her place among her friends. Hannah had been 'in favor' for a long time, and Zelda found herself drifting away ever so slightly. If she wasn't careful, Hannah might replace her, though Zelda did have enough faith in her friends that she wouldn't be completely excluded if this happened. Maybe it would instead become a group of four.

The bullying never really sat well with Zelda, but it was just one of the sacrifices she made to stay popular. Lately though, Zelda found herself getting used to it. She knew it was growing on her, and even if she got turned from the group, she would probably keep doing it. It made her feel beautiful and in charge.

Zelda gazed around the room some more, as the other girls took their turns getting dared or interrogated. She knew this was wrong, and she shouldn't care about her standing so much as to cause damage to to other people. _Surely it doesn't bother them that much? They would certainly forget about being bullied by the time they grow up_.

Zelda looked up just before her name was called again for a truth or dare. She smiled pleasantly. "Hmm.. I already did a truth. So, I'll take a dare! Do your worst, Bri."

Brittany giggled. "Oh, I will. Let's see..."

However, she was interrupted as her mother called from downstairs. "Girls! Dessert time!"

Immediately the game was halted and they all filed out of the room and into the kitchen. Politely, the children lined up in front of the table where Bri's mother was putting cut strawberries onto paper plates with whipped cream.

As Brittany took her plate, she pointed towards the counter. " Hey, I've never seen that fruit before, mom."

The parent looked where her daughter was pointed, and raised her eyebrows. "That's been there since I went shopping a few days ago. The weird part is that I don't remember buying it. I suppose it got accidentally slipped in with the apples, since I don't remember unpacking it either."

She stood up and picked the fruit up, bringing it to the attention of the other children. It was roughly the size of an apple, though it was a plum color, with a multitude of tiny bumps and swirls.

"Odd. I don't think I've ever seen a fruit like this." Brittany's mom pondered. Then, Brittany had an idea. "Okay, Zelly. I dare you to eat that fruit."

Zelda sighed. That wasn't so bad of a dare!. She nodded, and turned to the girl's mom. "Mrs. Roberts, may I have that fruit instead of strawberries? I think it looks pretty good."

The mother raised her eyebrows. "Sure, if you want. Let me just cut it up for you. Anyone else want a piece?" She looked over the group of children. None of them said a word,having heard the dare.

She shrugged, and cut it up, adding a spot of whipped cream and handing the plate to Zelda. Zelda waited with Brittany for the other girls to get their dessert, and the group headed back upstairs.

Back inside the room, all of the girls ate their dessert, staring expectantly at Zelda, who poked the strange food warily. Hesitatingly, she fingered the first slice, dipping it in the cream before eating it.

Zelda silently chewed, unable to describe the taste. It was sweet, yet had a fierce spiciness to it. She swallowed hard, sticking her tongue out. "Bleh! It''s _spicy_, like hot peppers! But it's also kinda sweet. I didn't think a flavour like that even existed!"

The girls all laughed as she took another slice and popped it into her mouth, making a nasty expression. "Ugh, I think it's making me sick.. I feel really weird." Zelda complained. It was true, she felt lightheaded and sick to the stomach The path the fruit took down into her chest and stomach twinged in pain.

"Well, you still have to eat it all. You picked 'dare'." Brittany replied, matter-of-factually. The red head nodded.

"I know, I know. Just saying, if any of you find a fruit that looks like this, do not eat it, okay? I'm probably going to have a stomach ache after this."

With that sentence, she took the last five slices, and ate them in record speed, one after the other. The girls all cheered and clapped as Zelly opened her mouth and stuck her tongue out, showing that the entire fruit was eaten.

"Okay, enough of this. How about we watch a movie?" Brittany suggested. Everyone nodded, Zelda being most grateful for the chance to lie down. The burning had eased up, but now her head felt like it was filled with helium, and it made her dizzy.

It wasn't long before the movie started, and the children were passing a bowl of popcorn between them. The movie was a romantic comedy, about a girl who meets some guy from the future on a mission to stop her from marrying her fiance who was actually bad. Zelda wasn't paying any attention to it though, due to her strange headache.

_I wonder if the fruit was rotten? Maybe it's poisonous.. _She shook her head. _No, they wouldn't sell poisonous fruit._ It had to be rotten, then. Zelda decided to stop thinking about it, and tried to turn her attention to the TV screen.

It was harder than she thought though. Her eyes kept slipping off the screen, and the dizziness got to the point where she couldn't tell if there was anyone beside her. She gulped, and closed her eyes, hoping it would clear her head.

It wasn't long after her eyes closed that the rest of her closed down too, sending her to sleep. The sleep was so deep, she didn't wake up when Nicole turned to pass the popcorn, and gasped. She also didn't wake up when several hands shook her shoulders frantically.

Zelda would never know exactly what happened with her friends as she slowly disappeared into a bright, flashy void, and it's probably a good thing she didn't. If she had, Zelda would have seen them scream and run away the second the bright hole began to pull her in, none of them brave enough to risk being taken as well.

Far away, in a completely separate dimension, an identical patch of light appeared. It flashed by itself for a while, before depositing Zelda's unconscious body on the top of a gargantuan boulder colored a dull purple, reflecting the light from the void like a jewel.

She fell a short distance to the smooth surface of the stone and her breath hitched, but she kept on sleeping, unaware of the entire event.

* * *

Haha, did I trick anyone into thinking Mary was the main character at the beginning? That was a little joke, actually, because a lot of one piece ocs have the combination of black hair and golden eyes. Also, this is the first time I made an oc who is bad at first. I don't really know why people bully, so I kinda guessed at the reasons. It wasn't too hard though, seeing as Zelda is a huge pushover, so she would do what her friends do even if she doesn't think it's right.


	2. A new world

It was a long time until Zelda woke up. She groaned, and stretched, blissfully unaware of her predicament. In the future, Zelda would look back on this moment in humor, the simple thoughts going through her mind, thinking that she would just carry on like any other day.

First, Zelda realized she was on something hard, flat, and cold.

_Didn't I fall asleep during the movie? Usually someone will wake me up if I fell on the ground._

Next, she noticed the lack of blankets. She reached around with her arms, but couldn't find any. _Huh. Bri's mom must have been trying to wake me up. Probably stole the blankets._

Zelda then rubbed her eyes, opening them for the first time in preparation for school this morning. That's when she finally figured out that something was wrong.

"Bri? Nicky?" She called out sleepily, rubbing her eyes again to make them clearer. All she saw was forest. "Claire?.... Hannah...?" She called again, unwilling to ask Hannah for help, but not really seeing a choice.

Zelda stood up shakily, suddenly remembering that her weird fruit sickness was gone now, but she still felt different. Almost as if she had suddenly grown an extra limb, and knew how to use it despite never having it before. She paled at the analogy and looked over herself, just to be sure.

The very confused girl finally realized that someone else was nearby when she heard an old man's voice shout to her.

"Hey! You're finally awake! Now get down here so I can tell you off." The voice then broke off into quiet mutterings about "Kids these days" and "climb on top the life like a hooligan..."

Zelda shook her head, not knowing what the man was talking about, and came closer to the voice. That's when she realized that the flat rock she was on had started to curve. She then realized that she wasn't at ground level. Zelda went on her hands and knees as the rock started to curve steeper, and crawled as far as she could go without sliding down.

She almost fainted again when she realized how high this was. It must have been higher than her house, which was three floors. What Zelda did do though, was scream. Her loud, high pitched voice startled some birds, who flew off in flocks.

"Why are you yelling? You had to have known how high it was when you climbed it. Of course, what I wanna know is how a little kid like you got up there." Zelda turned from her panic, and this time she found the owner of the voice. He was sitting in one of the many trees, across from the huge boulder she was on.

The old man wore a gray cape, and across his back was a long halberd. His head was partly covered by the gray cape's hood, but she still saw gray-white hair, wrinkled, tanned skin, and squinted green eyes. He was tall and lanky for an old man, it was an odd sight to see him sitting perfectly balanced on the skinny tree branch, with his back perfectly arched, ready for action.

"Do you know why I'm here? Who are you, anyway?" She yelled the questions at him, since he was the only other person there.

The old man gave her a weird look, and stood up calmly, his skinny branch not swaying a bit despite his change in position. He bent his knees slightly, and suddenly, he was in the air. Just as quickly, he landed beside her on the steep curve, making no sound. She looked at the branch, noticing it still hadn't moved an inch even after being jumped off of.

Her thoughts were broken when the old man raised her chin with one finger. "no.. you're not a child from any of the villages..." He let her chin drop, and held his hands on his hips.

" I can answer one of your questions. My name is Richard Hawthorn, currently the only guardian of the Life force, which is that big-ass jewel we're sitting on. Everyone just calls me Thorn. As for your other question, I was hoping you knew that."

Thorn smiled warmly at her, after seeing she was as confused as she was. The young child turned her gaze to the mineral she was standing on, realizing that it really was a gigantic jewel of a dull purple color. She knelt down, and wiped dirt off a small part of the surface. Light reflected off it as if it were a diamond, making it seem to glow in its own.

"Wow, it's really pretty." Zelda commented, almost forgetting her predicament. Thorn brought her back to the present, however. "You know, you could start by giving me your name."

"Oh! Right.. Zelda Grants." She said falteringly. " Mr. Thorn, I really don't know where I am. All I remember is falling asleep while watching a movie with my friends... this isn't some kind of prank, is it?"

She hoped that wherever this was, wasn't too far from home. Zelda had no clue how she could have gone anywhere, but it couldn't have been very far, right?

"Why don't we get down from here first. You can come to my cabin, and tell me everything that happened before you fell asleep." Thorn leaped nimbly, landing on the forest floor, so many meters down. Her eyes widened.

"Hey! I don't know how to get down!" She cried desperately, as he turned to leave. The man rolled his eyes.

"You got yourself up there, you can get yourself down." She said simply, smirking slightly.

She gulped. "You can't just do that! I'm a kid! What if I break something from falling!?" She started to get angry now. How dare he refuse to help a girl in need? But the old man just shrugged.

"Fine then, stay up there then. I don't know how long you'd survive though, with no supplies or shelter." Zelda fumed. It was obvious she was used to getting what she wanted. She sat there angrily for a few minutes.

"Oh come on, stop acting like a stuck up brat, or I'm going to leave right now, and even if you get down there you'll be lost." That got her attention, and she realized that this mean old man really would leave her.

She crawled down as far as she could handle, and slowly inched forward, feet first. The curve slowly got steeper, and soon she would start sliding. Zelda closed her eyes for a moment, to clear them of tears.

The ground was far below her, the distance would surely give her broken bones. There it was, perfectly in her eyesight, yet out of reach. If she could just reach there instantly, without traveling the space between...

And before she knew it, Zelda a blinding white circle of light engulf her. Next thing the young girl saw was the old man Thorn looking surprised in front of her. W_asn't he on the ground?_

Zelda then looked around her, and saw the ground, covered in short dense grass, and littered with great tree trunks. "How'd I get down here?" She questioned aloud. Somehow, Zelda knew it had to do with that different feeling. Now it was more like a kind of 6th sense.

"Oh! Oooohhhh! That explains a whole lot if what I think is true." Thorn exclaimed happily. Zelda tilted her head at him. "Really? What is it?"

"Let's go back to my house for now, okay? I have a really good idea..." The man grabbed her wrist, and they were suddenly off. The man was running so fast, Zelda's body was completely horizontal, flopping back and forth like a rag doll.

In no time, they reached a small cottage, though at first Zelda couldn't see a thing because of dizziness. She fell to the ground for a moment, before recovering and dusting herself off. Jogging, she followed Thorn into his tiny house.

He gestured to one of the two chairs in the main room. She sat down as he took the other one. "Tell me, did you eat a devil fruit, Zelda?" She stared at him as if he was crazy. "What the heck is a devil fruit?"

"Ohh, I should have known. You come from a small secluded island in one of the blues... probably east, seeing as they've the highest number of people who don't believe devil fruits exist. Am I right?"

He stood up again before she could tell him she didn't know what he was talking about. Thorn rooted through a bookcase before pulling out a large encyclopedia sized book. On it in gold lettering was the title "Known Devil Fruit Encyclopedia".

He began rifling through the back index. "What island are you from anyways, Zelda? Judging by your actions, I'd say you don't know you're in the Grand Line, correct?"

Zelda began tearing up. "What the heck!? Where's the grand line? What do you mean by 'Blues'?I don't live on some island, I'm from the mainland! Are we even in North America anymore?"

Now it was Thorn's turn to look at her like she was crazy. He shook his head, and started turning pages again, apparently having found the page number desired.

"We'll get this sorted out in a second. You need to tell me, have you eaten some kind of strange fruit recently? It would have a swirling pattern, be an odd texture and color, and would have a very unique taste for a fruit."

"What the heck does that have to do with this? I'm in the middle of nowhere, and you're asking me whether or not I ate a fruit!?" She glared at him, then got control of her annoyance when she realized he was right.

"Wait.. How did you know?" Thorn grinned, happy to get that answer.

"Good, good. Now, was it purple, about the size of an apple?"

"yeessss..."

"Had several bumps on the fruit, and it's inside was soft, like a peach? Did it taste spicy and sweet?"

"Yeah, it did! And afterwords I was feeling all dizzy, so I closed my eyes while my friends watched some movie. I woke up here."

Thorn nodded. "Well, Zelda, you are now the proud wielder of the warp-warp devil fruit. That was the fruit you just ate. It gives you the ability to teleport and create portals, at the cost of never being able to swim again. I'll let you look at the passage for it in a bit, there's just something that doesn't add up.."

Thorn continued reading the page, and Zelda was confused as ever. "That doesn't make any sense! How does a fruit give me superpowers? And why can't I swim? I've never heard anything about a devil fruit before."

He frowned. "You see, that's why I'm confused. You don't seem to know anything about the world. You don't even know the most basic geography, and no one is that secluded. Waaaiit.... here we are!"

He leaned closer to the book, furtively reading the desired passage. He reread it again out loud for Zelda.

"It is known that once every 1000 years, on a date ending in 452 April 14-17, the fruit will disappear off the face of the earth. It is thought that it leaves to a separate world, because of a strange anomaly of perfect alignment between planets, creating a mystical happening that allows multi-dimensional travel. At the end of the time period, it will return, not to leave dimensions until the time comes again.

"It is believed that the natural tendencies of the fruit to teleport itself is amplified by the millennium alignment to involuntarily send it across worlds. It is unknown as to how the fruit manages to return just before the event ends every time without fail. Due to this, it is possible for someone from another world to ingest the fruit and be unwillingly sent here during these few days."

Silence echoed through the cabin. "Well, yesterday was the 17 of April.. Oh my goodness girl, I am so sorry."

She stared. This man looked genuinely sorry. "What are you sorry about? I don't get it. You can just send me on an airplane, back to the United States. It isn't that far, right? I'm not that good at geography, so I don't know where the Grand line is,is it a river or something?"

He leaned his head forward so his hood covered his face completely. "That cements it. Zelda, there is no United stated here, as there is no Grand line where you are from. You heard the part I just read, right? You're in a new world, and it doesn't look like there's a way back."

Now Zelda's eyes widened. "No way! That's not possible! This can't be happening.. it can't." Cold realization hit her.

She remembered him talking about different places called 'blues' and the grand line as if it was something obvious. And she remembered him seeming so confused as she mentioned her home country, one of the countries that everyone knew about.

There was certainly nothing like devil fruits in her world, while now she stood here with one in her body, and this man knew a lot about them, even had a book on them! The sheer unbelievability hit her, yet there was no other explanation. Zelda thought back to how sorry the man sounded.

You could only cross worlds from April 14th to the 17th in a year ending in 452. So, unless she could live over a thousand years, she was stuck here forever. She would never see her friends, or parents again, and never get to go to school, and worry about grades. She would never get to taunt Mary, and feel guilty while also feeling good.

She would have burst into tears, but that was too weak a motion for something so huge. Zelda did the only thing possible for a sheltered 11 year old who just accidentally traveled to a different universe, and could never return again. She fainted.

* * *

The sun was rising, and Zelda woke up, not on her own, but from rough hands that shook her shoulders. "Zelda, get up! I let you sleep in because of what happened, but I only have so much patience!"

She shot up like a bullet, remembering the past days events. Tears immediately welled at her eyes, now that she was past the shock. "Was it a dream? Am I back yet?"

"Sorry, but no. Listen though, I have a proposition for you, though you should get something to eat first. I'd have you change, but I don't have any clothes that would fit."

Zelda nodded sullenly, tears streaming freely now that she wasn't denying it. She whimpered and followed Thorn to the kitchen, where she was given a mango of some sort. She chewed it silently, sniffing and wiping her face with her sleeve.

"Now, the way I see it, you're stuck here and there's no use moping. The way I see it, you can either wander around homeless, and probably die, or I can take care of you. You'll have a higher survival rate if you stick with me, and I really need someone to take up the job."

"What job?" Zelda asked, curiosity getting the better of herself.

"Well, maybe I better start at the beginning of the story, for you to understand...

_A long time ago, this was an important capital of the losing side of a war. No one knows what is was about, but the war's cause was so terrible that when the opposing side won, they completely erased all life on this island. They salted and charred the land, did so much damage that nothing would ever be able to grow again, which left this a barren wasteland, because the ground couldn't offer nutrients to plants, so neither could animals or humans live there._

_But because of all the death, huge amounts of energy was unleashed, when it left the bodies of plants and animals and humans. So much death energy concentrated in one place, after a few years it crystallized into this unique jewel, the life force. It was so large, that it continued to gather death energy that hung in the air. It grew and grew, and when, hundreds of years later, people came to this island, they realized that the jewel allowed plants to flourish here, despite not having an iota of nutrient in the soil. _

_So the villagers dubbed it the "Life Force" and set up towns around it, able to use the Death energy made available by the stone for living. But, unfortunately, other people, greedy ones, found out about this limitless supply of energy. They constantly tried the steal it. So the different villages, now fully established, banded together, getting a team of people to train rigorously, to guard the Life Force. When they get old, they teach a new generation to take the job._

_That's where I come in. I'm the last Life Guardian. We've had a relative time of peace, so no one is willing to take the rigorous training. It's only the occasional pirate group. But I'm only one person and I won't be around a whole lot longer. If I can't teach a new generation of guardians how to defend the Life Force, it will be left unprotected, and someone might steal it, killing off all the life on the island._

Zelda's eyes were wide, she drank in every detail. "That's terrible. Why would someone take it, if they knew the island wouldn't survive without it?"

"Simple. They want the power for themselves, and they don't care who gets in their way." Thorn answered sagely. He raised his eyebrows.

"Do you understand my offer? Since you have nowhere to go, I will take care of you, and in the mean time, I will train you. I'm a master of all kinds of pole arms. You will learn all of them as well as me, and when you have, you can pick a signature weapon. Mine of course, is this Halberd, as you can see."

He held out the Halberd, and she looked over it in awe. It looked very well used, yet very well taken care of. In the base of the metal, where it met the hardened wooden pole, there was a polished purple jewel. She fingered it "Is that the-"

"Yes, a small part of it. When you pick a signature weapon, you get one forged with a Life Force piece fused to the metal."

Thorn locked eyes with her.

"Is it a yes, or is it a no? I admit, it will be hard. But I doubt you will survive if you don't take my offer. Plus, while you train your body, you can train your devil fruit power. Maybe there is a way for you to return, if you get good enough with it? Maybe all you need is a little preparation and a big power boost, and this island does have such a power boost if you know how to use it..."

Zelda considered his words carefully. The last few sentences filled her with hope. She saw no other choice.

"Okay then, I say yes." She answered conclusively. Thorn grinned.

"Good, I thought you'd say that. You can't go back on your word now, no matter how hard I make you work. And work hard, you will. You need to be an example, so other kids will train too. Can't have a one-man guardian force, can we?"

And that is how Zelda came to train under the master of pole arms, Richard Hawthorn.

* * *

Eheh, how was that for a backstory? Too long and boring probably.. but I put a lot of thought into it. Ties into the whole grim reaper image I have in mind for zelda. By the way, next chapter I'm probably doing the time skip so we can see her when she's 17, and much less stuck up. XD anyways, I hope you enjoy the story so far.


	3. Time skip 6 years later

**Make Sure you read this remake of chapter 3! It is very different, and explains a lot more!**

Oh yeah, I changed the name for the devil fruit, since warp technically means to 'distort or bend' and there isn't any good translations for 'teleport' or 'portal'. So I went for Travel Travel fruit. It translates to Tabi Tabi no mi, which doesn't sound so bad. I like to use a few of the Japanese terms, because I watched most of the show in fansubs, which does that. Hence 'shichibukai' instead of 'seven warlords' also, I'll be using the term 'Kairoseki' as well XD I'm such a weeaboo, I know lol

* * *

_6 years later_

In the years that passed between Zelda landing on the island, and the present time. The name of the island was Vivo, the island in between Whiskey Peak and Little Garden.

If you looked at it from a distance, you could see the ring of broken mountains, long ago transformed into ragged hills when the island was destroyed so long ago. Great spars of rock stuck up from the waters surrounding the island, the mountain tops that had been cast into the sea when they were severed from their base.

Another thing to notice was that every speck of land was covered with plant life. Despite being inhabited by humans, plants seemed to be the masters of the land, growing tall and colouring everything green.

However, the most noticeable thing about the island was the peculiar barrier placed all along the beach of the island. It was several stories tall, and seemed crafted entirely from living trees, purposely woven into a tight net, protecting the isle. All along the leafy barrier, thorn covered vines twined, preventing an otherwise simple climb.

The only gap big enough for ships to dock at was a single port town. It wasn't normal, though. Much had changed since Zelda became Thorn's apprentice. The safety of the life force had been compromised too many times in the past few years, and the town known as Sentry had been turned into a base for the guardians, whose numbers had increased dramatically after Thorn passed away from old age.

Only guardians, those training to be guardians, and a few hardy shopkeepers to sell supplies to innocent travelers lived there. Zelda was currently there for a quick meal, though she didn't live there like the others.

Now, she was the make-do leader of the guardians, having been the only one Thorn had properly passed his knowledge to. She hardly resembled the girl she once was. Now seventeen, she was very tall for her age, and skinny. Adding to her strength and grace given by years of harsh training, she had a wiry, flexible form.

To complete the look, she kept her chest bound with bandages, and baggy clothes that showed little skin. Though it didn't make a difference because she generally kept her cloak fastened around her at all times.

The cloak was something all guardians had, and were any shade of black or gray. Most added a personal touch to theirs, like a pattern around the hem, or metal studs in the hood. Zelda's unique additive was palm sized, golden coloured metal clasp that joined the hood to the rest of the cloak and rested below her neck. The design on it was simply three large black dots, in a triangle formation.

Zelda finished her meal, a simple garden salad, and stood up again. " I thought you didn't need to eat anyways." the man who sold her the food commented. She glared at him. " Hey, I just thought, since you spend so much time around the life force..."

Zelda put her hood over her head, and her arms through the sleeves of her black clothing. "I try not to absorb the energy it gives off. I like to taste things once in a while. It's bad enough I can't sleep unless I'm injured."

She turned stiffly and disappeared in a quick flash of light. The vendor flinched, despite being used the woman's devil fruit. Of course, he had his suspicions, as did the rest of the village, that her powers weren't devil fruit related. After all, it was common knowledge that she came from another world.

She was an alien, despite looking human. She was leader of the guardians, yet everyone avoided her and none trusted her with matters other than the island's protection. That, at least, was a guarantee of her actions, all knew she would protect this island to her last breath, for whatever reason.

The red haired girl reappeared in the heart of the forest, a few miles away from the life force. She knew the islanders thought she was some sort of nasty alien in human disguise, and probably wouldn't feel safe alone in a room with her. That didn't bother her. She grew to not trust others in return, save for a few close people.

Thorn, for one. He was like a father, and she took his death hard. It was only a year before current time. He had led a good life, and set hers on the right track. She still shuddered when she thought of herself before meeting Thorn.

The only other people she trusted were the guardians, since they all had a common goal- to protect the Life Force from thieves Even so, she kept out of their business, and they stayed out of hers.

Zelda shook her head of these thoughts, and started walking. The life force wasn't going to protect itself. She held her hand out, and her weapon appeared in it.

It was a scythe, the wooden base as tall as she was, tapered out towards the end so the part touching the ground was as wide as her foot. The blade was the length of one shoulder to the other, and had a wide curve, both sides of the blade razor sharp. The base of the blade, where it met wood, it spiked outwards from the other end. In this wide area of metal, there was an eye-shaped purple stone permanently embedded, her piece of the life force. It gave the metal a purple- gray tint.

Spinning the weapon around, Zelda continued her lonely patrol, making circles around the island. It was the thick of the forest, so of course, she wasn't aware when a pirate vessel, with a skull bearing a straw hat, sailed into the port.

* * *

When the peculiar ship, with a Ram's head decorating the prow stopped by the docks, dropping its anchor, it did not go unnoticed. Three of the many hooded guardians, who had been sitting on a bench comfortably, immediately got up to meet the pirates.

The two older ones, one man and one woman, walked purposefully toward the vessel. The third, a young teenaged girl just out of training, bounced as she followed the olive skinned, green eyed woman, and the tanned, brown eyed man. The girl herself had hair coloured like a cherry blossom, white skin, and playful hazel eyes.

The three stopped in front of the boat, coming face to face with the pirates. There were six people, and an animal, an oversized duck that didn't look aquatic, stood by the side of a woman with long blue hair. It must be that pirate's pet.

Before the islanders raised their voices, they overheard the two female pirates conversing.

"I just don't get Ms. Allsunday. Why would she give us an eternal pose? She said that this island was manageable, as long as we didn't explore the island, but the next island is supposedly impossible to survive?"

"Well, it doesn't matter now, Vivi. Luffy had to be difficult and smashed the eternal pose she gave us. We just have to make it, somehow. Maybe I can keep Luffy from running around the island, and we'll be out of here the moment the log pose sets!"

The most energetic of the boys, wearing the straw hat that defined the pirate crew, had also overheard the last part of that statement. "But Naaaamiiii, what fun is it if we don't explore?"

The guardians took this moment to interrupt them. The older woman cleared her throat.

"What business do you have at Vivo?"

Startled by the bluntness, they were quiet for a moment, then the redhead known as Nami spoke for the rest.

"We just want to restock and leave as soon as we can."

The cloaked individual nodded approvingly. "The log pose sets exactly seven days. We don't care if you are marines, regular travelers, or even pirates. We will sell you what you need for the coming journey. Just don't leave town, under any circumstances. It is dangerous and out-of-bounds to outsiders. Remember that rule and you'll have a comfortable stay here at sentry."

Finishing the speech, She turned on her heels and strode away, hastily followed by her two companions. "Are you sure they'll listen?" The younger girl asked, hearing the energetic shouts of "Adventure!" From the hyper boy.

"Well, if not, then Zelda will take care of them. Nothing that enters the forest avoids her attention, we all know that."

The younger girl visibly shivered, glad she wasn't any of the pirates.

* * *

It was not true at all of course, that Zelda could see everything in the forest at all times. But she did have a way to view several parts of the forest at once, without actually being there. It was part of her devil fruit powers.

With her fingers, she created a moveable portal, It stayed in front of her even when she walked. It was only a partial portal though, it was like a window, showing anywhere she was familiar with, that was only let light through and only from one side, unnoticeable to the surroundings she spied on.

Zelda always had a few of these windows around, and combined with her constant patrols, it certainly gave the appearance of being all-seeing. It did wonders for her multitasking skills, paying attention to so many things at once.

It was times like this, that she let her mind her mind wander. She didn't have a hobby, other than the journal she kept. It had been started not long after she got here, it kept her optimistic back when she believed that it would only be a short while before she could get back to her own world.

The idea was that when she went home, she might forget about all of this, and dismiss it as a long dream. The journal was a physical reminder of all that had happened. She drew pictures in it too, of things that looked strange or impossible. Zelda didn't want to forget any of it when she eventually made it home.

That journal was really the only important thing she owned, other than her scythe. She had other belongings, of course, like her collection of pole arms She owned a staff, spear, trident, glaive, and halberd in addition to her scythe, but she wasn't quite as good with them as she was with her scythe, plus the other weapons didn't have a life stone in them.

Zelda let her thoughts come back to her former life, like it often did. She had been such a naive child, not to mention self-centered, spoiled, and shallow. She grimaced in embarrassment, remembering her first moments of adapting to this tough life.

_I've only been in this place for three days. It's so impossible, being in an alternate dimension. I try not to think about how far away everyone I know is. It would be so nice if all of this was a dream. But I don't think it is. _

_I guess I'm glad that I'm alive right now, but I wish it hadn't been Thorn that found me. Yesterday wasn't bad, he got me some new clothes, and this journal to write in. Normally I hate writing, but I don't have to go to school for now, so something as small as this isn't too bad. Plus, when I come home, this will be something I can read over later and laugh about!_

_Anyways, I wanted to write about what happened today, not yesterday. I know he said that if he was going to take care of me, then I would have to learn how to fight, but this is too soon! And too hard! _

_He woke me up at some insane hour (he doesn't have a clock. Apparently this world is way behind with their technology. I wish my iPod was in my pocket when I traveled over here). Thorn throws me a staff, and tells me to come at him! Does this guy think I know how to use a staff? I think he's dumb. You should teach people how to use things before you tell them how to use it._

_So, I swing at him, and the old fart blocks it, and swings back! Hit me right in the stomach, I went flying a few feet and landed on my butt. What a dick, right? Then he tells me my stance was all wrong, as if I knew what I was doing. _

_This goes on for a few hours at least. Just when I think I'm getting the hang of it, he sends me flying into a tree. I swear, I could feel the bark tearing my back skin when I slid down. This time, I refused to get up. Why continue, if he's just going to beat me up some more? Not to mention, I was exhausted._

_Thorn told me to stand back up again. I told him no. He then said that if I don't get up, then I won't get any lunch! That's so unfair! Most kids are relaxing in bed, or playing outside with friends, not getting beat up by a mean old man. And you can't just not feed someone when they're hungry and it's meal time._

_When I said that to him, he laughed and told me this (word for word, btw), " Most kids also didn't agree to be my apprentice, so it's your own fault. Sure I can refuse to give you lunch! It's as simple as not sharing. Listen, Zelda. The world isn't fair, so just learn to deal with you problems, instead of quitting"_

_I couldn't believe it! How is any of this my fault! It's not like I had a choice: go with Thorn, or starve to death. Why can't the world be fair, anyways?_

_After he said that, I got so angry, I ran away. I tried to find the village we went to when I got this book, and my clothes. However, I couldn't remember the way. This forest is a freaking maze! Though I hate to admit it, it was good that Thorn found me. I was totally lost! _

_He told me that since he had also agreed to take responsibility for me, he shouldn't let me get lost. We went back to his cottage, and luckily he gave me some lunch and a break before we continued. _

_I guess the training isn't so bad. Thorn says that the staff is the easiest pole arm to start with, because it doesn't have a heavy or sharp blade on it. I still think it's pretty heavy, though. It was only after dark that I got to end it for the day, and boy am I tired, even though we took breaks throughout the day._

_At least I made some progress, even if it was only a little. Thorn said my footwork looks like it will get pretty good, and my evasion is promising, but my offense is terrible, whatever that means. Honestly, all I did was try to hit him and try not to get hit back._

_In conclusion: I'm tired and sore, and my life officially sucks. I don't deserve any of this, and I should be back with my friends, at the top of the social ladder at school. Buuuutt... here I am, working my butt off. Thorn better not work me like this every day!_

–

She could barely suppress a giggle as she thought about her first entry. The next page had a doodle of a badly drawn Thorn with devil horns, and a pitch fork. He wore a mean scowl, and his eyebrows were angry slants.

Her drawing skills had gotten better with more practice, at least. Now she could sketch pretty well and fast.

Zelda was ripped from her thoughts when she saw something from one of her windows. A boy with messy black hair covered partially with a straw hat came bouncing into the woods. This particular window was just outside sentry, the only port town. Plus, although she didn't know the villagers from the many scattered towns of this island, he definitely wasn't from here.

Without a second thought, Zelda blinked, opening her eyes when she was personally standing in front of the stranger. He jumped back, clearly surprised, like she expected. " I'm sure you were warned when you got here, that the rest of the island was out of bounds."

He nodded. "Someone did say that, but that just makes it more exciting! I knew there was something cool about this island, and it's true! How did you do that?"

Zelda sighed quietly. This guy is stupid. " I assure you there is nothing special about this forest. You need to go back to town."

Without waiting for a reply, she stepped forward to touch him on the arm with the hand that wasn't gripping her weapon firmly. While she doubted he would fight, Zelda wanted to be ready if he did. The man didn't, and once contact was established, she used her power to go back to Sentry.

"Woah, I'm back here again! So coool!" He looked like he was about to ask her something, so Zelda immediately teleported away, to a tree several hundred feet away. She watched the tiny red vested figure turning about in confusion.

...Then he marched right back into the mass of vegetation. "Stupid.", she muttered under her breath, and ported in front of the boy again.

"What did I just tell you?" Zelda spoke as the pirate recoiled slightly from the bright light given off from her power.

"You did it again! Hey, do you have a devil fruit?" She rolled her eyes, and went to touch his arm again. He seemed to remember last time, and jumped back a few feet.

"That's not going to get me again! I wanna know, how do you do that?" Without responding, she simply ported behind him, in a split second, grabbing his shoulder. He looked back in surprise, about to yank away, but the two were already back in Sentry.

Zelda released her grasp, and was about to port to a safe distance, but the black haired boy grabbed her wrist. She was jolted back from her porting by the unexpected addition, and her gut twisted from the abrupt stop.

She gulped a lungful of fresh air to ward off the nausea, and glared at the grinning boy, who held her wrist in a firm grip. That was a downside to her power. If she touched a person, they could come with her when she ported. However if someone latched on to her, she could not port without them coming, not to mention if it was unexpected, she would be forcefully stopped, giving her painful nausea for a moment.

" Geez, trying to get away again? That's a neat power though! Am I right, that it's a devil fruit power?" He said, smiling widely. Zelda tried to wrestle her arm from him, but his grip was iron-clad. He was clearly stronger than he looked, and probably a pirate.

Seeing no way to escape without using force, which she didn't want to do when her opponent clearly had no malicious intent, she replied to him.

"It's as you guessed. I ate the Tabi-Tabi no mi, I can almost instantly travel anywhere I've been before. The more familiar I am with the place, and the closer it is, the faster I can get there." Having lived here so long, she could warp anywhere within the island in milliseconds, with hardly a second thought.

She spared a glance at the energetic boy, who's eyes had started sparkling. "That's so cool! I use a Devil fruit too! I ate the gomu gomu no mi, I'm a rubber man."

Zelda raised her eyebrows. To experiment, she lowered her scythe and used her now free hand to pull at some of the skin on his bare arm. As expected, it stretched farther than humanly possible, and the amused girl released it, allowing it to snap back into place.

The pirate laughed at her amusement, and then looked down to the scythe she had set against her frame, not having noticed it before. " Wow, what kind of weapon is that? It's huge, and the blade is all curled! And what's that purple thing?"

Picking her possession up, Zelda explained. "It's called a scythe. The stone in the blade is purely decorative. I use it to ward off intruders with bad intent." A lie, obviously. But she couldn't just tell him what the jewel was.

"Oh! So even if I keep trying to get past you, you're not going to try and kill me, right?"

"Not unless you mean to pillage the island. Of course, I'll still stop you from entering the remainder of the island." She responded, annoyed by his continuous questions.

"It's a game, then! A big game of tag!" The child like teenager cried out joyfully, releasing Zelda's arm. Immediately, he sprinted into the woody barrier.

Zelda brought her hand to her face in annoyance. She wiped a strand of curly red hair from her eyesight, and opened a portal to her home in the forest. She dropped her scythe in the hole made in space, and closed it up.

If this pirate wanted a game of tag, then so be it. She could use the excitement, anyways. With her pointer finger, the Tabi-Tabi user opened several invisible windows, in the likely places that he could have run off to. She checked the direction he had left in, and adjusted the placement, until she caught a yellow straw hat in the corner of one.

Without wasting time, she ported inches behind him, and dragged the pirate back to the start just as he realized she was there. He frowned slightly, but another thought struck him.

"Gomu gomu no Rocket!" And off he flew into the sky. Zelda stood dumbstruck for a second at the speed in which the boy catapulted away. Then she searched the air for any sign of the impromptu flight.

Finding his body sailing down toward a patch of trees, she ported to the exact spot he was about to land. "Oh, crap!", she heard him yelp before he stretched his arm out and redirected his path.

With the grace of a cat, Zelda leaped upwards, and caught his ankle, sending sprawling in the dirt of the tree line.

"Ughh, this is hard... You're pretty good!" He whined, but with a cheerful note. Then he got back up, and the game continued.

The rest of the day was spent like this, and Zelda actually had to tell the other guardians to cover for her, for the day and night. Normally, she didn't need sleep due to being in such close proximity with the life stone, and doing menial tasks all day long, like walk circles around the island.

However, constantly chasing and porting all over the place was making her break a sweat, as was her opponent. She was glad, it had been months since she needed a sleep, and night time is boring when you're awake.

In the end, what stopped their game was one of the pirate's nakama calling for him.

"Luffy! There you are! Where have you been? We haven't heard any commotions all day!" A busty girl with short orange hair called to the straw hatted boy.

"Well, I was trying to explore, but then I met this guy! He's got this cool devil fruit power!", the boy, Zelda realized his name was Luffy, replied happily.

"Oh, good. It's nice to see us land at a new island and not get chased off because you get in trouble. Who is he, anyways?"

Zelda almost burst out laughing right there. He had mistook her for a man! She looked herself over, and realized it was a reasonable mistake.

Her female curves were hidden under her heavy, durable cloak, and the hood had never come off her head. All they'd be able to see of her face is her eyes and nose, the other features covered in shadow.

The two looked at her curiously, Luffy realizing that they hadn't introduced themselves properly. "Right! I'm Monkey D. Luffy, captain of the Straw hat pirates! This is Nami, my navigator."

Zelda nodded. This was a funny misunderstanding, and she didn't want to ruin it by stating her obviously gender specific first name.

"My name is Grants, head guardian of this island. If you want to recognize me later, my cloak's the only one with this button, and my scythe has the tapered end."

Nami nodded, and turned to her captain. "Come on, we're going back to the ship. It's dark out, anyways."

"Whaaaaattt? I don't wanna! We were having a fun game!" Luffy whined piteously. The flame haired navigator rolled her eyes.

"Fine, then we'll have supper without you."

The boy's behavior immediately did a 180, and he smiled hugely. "Foooooooddd!", He shouted, and sped off ahead of his nakama. Clearly used to this, Nami sighed, and turned to follow at a more reasonable pace.

But first, she glanced at Zelda one more time. "Thanks for keeping him busy for the day. The idiot wouldn't stop going on about finding adventure on the island, since we were warned not to leave port."

Zelda smiled softly. "It was no problem. It's the most fun I've had for a long time. I will truly enjoy being able to sleep tonight."

Feeling awkward for talking openly with a stranger, seeing as she never talked openly to anyone, Zelda promptly ported away.

Nami tilted her head in confusion, both with her last statement, and with her disappearing act. Deciding to leave it at that, she made her way back to the Going Merry, where her nakama were waiting, preparing for a meal.


	4. Zoro appears

When Zelda woke up in the morning, she felt extremely refreshed. She'd have to thank that Luffy guy for giving her a run for her money.

Stretching widely, the content girl flung the covers off. Since she told the others to take over her shift for the night, Zelda wasn't too worried about getting to work right away.

They didn't seem to mind, probably because Zelda almost never asked for time off. Reaching into a nearby drawer, she pulled out the old and ratty notebooks that her life was written out on. There were six, one for each year.

The one she was currently on, had so little in it. She tried to update, but for months, it had been the same old routine. Yesterday, however, was out of the ordinary.

Zelda unclipped the pencil from the side, and slipped the side between her teeth as she searched for the latest page. Upon finding the blank page, she took the writing utensil into her left hand and began to write.

While describing Luffy's behavior, she couldn't help but smile. He had such an optimistic, energetic, and even childish personality. The way he grinned, it made you want to smile back.

When she got to the part about the gender confusion, Zelda couldn't help but laugh. _"And so I told him my surname to keep the confusion going." _She giggled as she reread her last sentence.

Before closing the book, Zelda did a portrait of Luffy They might not meet again, and Zelda didn't want to forget that happy face.

In the picture, drawn carefully under the words, she was sure to get every detail right. The loose strands of jet black hair, the large and innocent black eyes, and even the cherry red ribbon on his well-worn straw hat.

Finding enough space left over, Zelda sketched Nami underneath. It wasn't as detailed, because she'd only seen the red head for a brief minute. She scribbled a note to add a proper portrait of the female pirate if they met again.

Deciding that there was still plenty of time before she went on patrol, Zelda resolved to take a long shower. Her small house, separated as it was from the other villages, didn't have a water supply of its own.

However, distance was never an issue for Zelda, so she simply gathered her bath supplies and ported to a suitable location. It was a secluded section of river, where the water continuously sprayed over a ledge. Under the free falling river, there was a large wooden plank, that allowed a person to wash under the water, without having to enter the river below.

Thorn had built it for Zelda, because she was a devil fruit user and would drown if she went in the river. She undressed and stood under it. It was bitter cold, like it always was, but it worked.

As she cleaned out the tangles gathered in her curly red hair, Zelda thought about the pirates. She always had wondered what the rest of this strange world was like. To have adventures, explore the Grand Line, and have all sorts of fun... must be great, to be a pirate.

Stepping out of the water's path, she shook her head like a wet dog, spraying water droplets in every direction. In no time, she was back in her house, dry and clothed.

Her outfit consisted of a blue tee shirt, with a darker blue spike pattern along the bottom. On her bottom half, she wore a plaited skirt that went three quarters down her thighs, and long baggy blue and turquoise striped socks that disappeared under her skirt. She felt so energetic that it was almost as if a veil of energy hung around her.

Even though the Life Force let off enough energy, that once you had synched with it by being around the stone long enough, would supply you with energy so that you did not need to eat or sleep. However, it wasn't natural, and left you feeling subpar after long periods.

This is why it was healthier to reject the Life Force energy, and Zelda could do it well enough that she still needed to eat a small amount every day, or a full meal every other day in order to be satisfied. The problem was, she couldn't stop a small trickle from leaking into her, the amount that prevented her from normal sleep.

It didn't help that being able to synch with the Life Force could be the key to her return trip home. If Zelda could figure out how to absorb more than what was given off, right from the source itself, it could have the power to bring her home.

Or, the death energy flowing into her body in such volumes could cause her to die herself. Thorn had made it very clear when Zelda brought up this idea of getting home. The death energy may be ironically used to sustain life, but too much would overwhelm her body if she wasn't strong enough.

Zelda leaned back into her bed with aggravation. Then, realizing the time was getting near for her to leave, she got back up. She made her way to the small kitchen, and removed a papaya from the food cupboard.

Zelda groaned slightly when she realized that there was almost nothing left after she ate the papaya. Later she would need to forage for more food, and maybe make a trip into town. _Mmmm... haven't had milk or eggs for a while.. _She licked her lips absentmindedly.

It was after she had flung her cloak over her shoulders and tightened the brass clasp that connected hood to cloak, that she was interrupted by a strange noise. It took Zelda a few seconds to realize that it was her baby den-den mushi , hidden in a deep invisible pocket of her cloak.

"Hello?" Zelda spoke hesitantly to the snail, after making sure it was in communication mode. _I still don't understand how animals act like telephones. After six years, this world still seems completely insane._

"Grants... _huff._.. an intruder, one of the pirates... he was too strong.. we need backup!" The voice from the other end was ragged and desperate, which immediately made Zelda's mind race. Luffy wouldn't actually attack one of them would he?

"What does the intruder look like?" Zelda snapped, perhaps too harshly, for the face of the baby den-den mushi flinched back.

"Green hair... has three swords, and used two to take the three of us down... we're in section q-12, please hurry!..._gasp_... I called as soon as he left, he can't be that far away!"

Inwardly, Zelda sighed in relief. It wasn't her friend from yesterday! She immediately turned the phone device off, and the snail was asleep before she even put it back in her pocket.

After only a second of remembering exactly which patch of rainforest was labeled q-12, she ported to the destination. Zelda looked around, quickly locating the fallen guardians by the dark cloaks strewn around them, and the smeared blood on the foliage.

" I'm taking you three to the doctor's before I get to the intruder.", She informed them, kneeling down to reach them better.

"Be careful, he's strong. He beat us with only a few slashes, and I don't believe he was going full out."

Zelda simply nodded before arranging their arms so she could touch all of them at once. They reappeared in one of the villages hidden in the deepest parts of the dense forest. Specifically, in a hospital, where she left them on the floor.

When a nurse noticed them, she quickly came closer, cautiously glancing at Zelda as if wondering whether or not she was the one to injure the three people. Zelda rolled her eyes and assured her. " There's an intruder with swords. I have to get after him, he may be after the life force and he's dangerous."

The nurse squeaked, made even more scared by the truth, and wasted no time getting a cart wheeled in to take the injured guardians. In return, Zelda wasted no time getting out of there.

Coming back to the place she found the guardians, Zelda tired to guess where the swordsman had gone.

She created a small portal inside her house, in front of her weapons cabinet. After some hesitance, she decided to take the staff. It was light and fast, hopefully it would give her an advantage over this intruder, who seemed to have a high level of speed. If not, there were many weapon choices, including her scythe.

As a last preparation, Zelda put her arms through the long sleeves of her heavy cloak and slid her hands along the staff, into a fighting grip. Gazing around the man made clearing, Zelda picked up on the obvious trail of disturbed plant life.

She broke into a sprint, using her agility to dodge around the thick undergrowth. Using a boulder as a stepping stone, she leaped into a tree, using the interlacing branches to gain even more speed. All the while she was careful to not lose track of the intruders trail.

One branch she landed on was as thin as her skinny arm, and she touched down on it lightly as a feather, barely disturbing it. Instantly she remembered when she was amazed whenever Thorn did something like that.

The realization that she was now at Thorn's level when it came to balance and agility like this, she felt warm inside. Maybe one day she would even get better than him? Zelda mentally berated herself at that thought. No one would be able to surpass Thorn, for he was no longer living.

Still, the train of thought made her show off a little bit to herself, as she hopped off the thin branch just after landing on it, and onto another, thinner one. Also not making the branch move even an inch, she jumped high upwards, flipping midair and propelling herself horizontally by kicking off the side of a tree.

Just as she lightly stepped on another leafy branch, she spotted a flash of white and green. Whirling around, she caught sight of the intruder. And it seemed he had seen her as well, for he stared upwards at her, watching silently.

He did indeed have odd green hair, like the person who contacted her had described. In addition, he had a loose white shirt and a green haramaki around his middle, explaining the first two colours she had seen. His pants were black, and seemed to carry a green tint, along with pitch black boots.

Zelda took a quick glance at his three swords, briefly wondering why he kept three with him, before speaking.

"You were the one who took down the three guardians earlier, correct?". The man snorted slightly, and replied.

"Yeah. They told me to leave and attacked me when I told them to go away. Not much of a challenge though."

Zelda glared at him. Although she knew that they were indeed not very strong. "What are you here for? You must have been told not to enter the forest."

The man grunted. " When I asked why it was off-limits the guard told me there was a strong monster loose. I wanted to test my skills while I was here. Turns out there was nothing here worth my time."

She sighed. What an idiot. She would have to yell at whoever told that lie to a man who was clearly strong enough to not be scared off by the idea of a monster. And those three idiots who attacked him first.

Zelda knew she had to fight this man, since he wounded some other guardians and was therefore a threat, even if he could probably be persuaded to leave. She groaned and soundlessly slipped to the ground from her perch, brandishing the staff.

"This could have been resolved peacefully, but you just had to maim the other guardians Granted, they were stupid for attacking you without trying to get you out peacefully, but I can't just forgive this."

The man raised his eyebrow, bringing his hands to his swords. "You want to attack me too? You better hope you're stronger than those three."

He smirked and brought two of the swords from their sheaths Zelda watched him with a steely, observant gaze. She could tell he was very strong, more than the guardians from earlier could tell. This was going to be a good battle.

* * *

I was going to have the fight scene in here, but I've never written a fight scene before, and it's gonna be hard :C

When this story gets really long, I want to have a fic for just the journal entries, so everyone can get a good look at how she changed over the six years she was at this island. Good idea?

Oh yeah, one more thing. I've modeled the forest on Vivo after the rainforests, which is why I've started referring to it as a 'rainforest' . Also, it's a spring island, so not quite as warm as a real rainforest, but you'd never need a jacket.


	5. In which someone kicks another's ass

Now, normally, Zelda was one to let her opponents strike first, just to get a taste of what she was dealing with. Since she was a young girl, her skills in all areas had significantly improved. However, Thorn was correct in his first assumption. She was a fighter who relied on speed and evasion, using the enemy's power against them.

Her offense was good and her defense was better, but her evasion and stamina was what made her win most battles. She would taunt her opponent into using all their power, only to take them out as they were tired and unaware. She began this battle reflecting that, dashing up to the green topped pirate and giving a swing that would be easy to deflect.

And deflect he did, pushing back with such force that Zelda knew she would not be disappointed. She leaped nimbly to the side as he countered with the swing of his second sword. There was no reason to use her devil fruit at this point, with someone as strong as him she may need an ace in the hole.

He came after her with a barrage of swings, and she easily dodged each of them, not even having to block. He paused for a moment to look at her contemplatively, not that she was going to give him a chance to stop in the middle of a fight and daydream. With a flash of speed she feinted to the right, suddenly spinning the staff so the other side went up and into his side.

That is, it would have, if he hadn't blocked it with an impressive speed that accompanied his brute strength. He grinned, and the red head flipped backwards as he pushed his blade out.

"So you're not like the others." He stated, a strange glint in his eyes. The staff bearing girl gave no emotion as she replied.

"I share the same occupation. I am their temporary leader, if that was what you were wondering." Even though she had shouldered the responsibility of being head to the Guardian forces, she always stressed the temporary part. She hated having to lead people, and only had the respect of the villagers because of her strength and being the closest to the late Thorn.

"So... you're the strongest of this island?" He inquired.

She hesitated, before nodding. There wasn't much point in hiding the truth, though she really would be more confident about the safety of the island if there was someone stronger than her to help out. The man nodded, and readied his swords.

"You'll just have to do then, since there isn't anyone else to test my strength against._**Oni...**_"

Zelda's eyes widened and she barely got out of the way as he flashed in her direction with his swords crossed in front of him. "_**...Giri!**_" Right. No more testing strength, Zelda thought, this is serious. The cloaked girl held her staff out in front, giving it a few spins before launching up into the foliage above.

He looked about in brief confusion, her footing and balance making it next to impossible to detect the movements with hearing, and she could hide surprisingly well with her black cloak, bending the tree limbs in a way that seemed unnatural. Yes, Zelda was very much in her element, among the thick forest.

The man, just like Zelda earlier, barely moved out the way in surprise as she fell from above, staff aiming for his skull. She took the offense, swinging the staff so fast that it seemed a blur, causing the swordsman to back up against a tree.

"Okay, enough of this!" He grunted, pushing her back with both swords. She, again, somersaulted back before he could get near her. As he looked around, for she had hidden again, she came from behind, managing to get a hit to the back of his kneecaps.

Grunting, he almost fell, but whirled around and swing his swords at the cloaked stranger. She gasped at the tip of his left weapon caught her exposed wrist, leaving a scratch. He then went after her with a renewed vigor, swinging left and right, above and below. She was forced to redirect some of the blows with her staff, dodging the others.

She attempted to trip him by hooking her foot behind his while blocking, but he would have none of that,stomping on her outstretched appendage and slashing at her side now that she was rooted. The attack glanced off her cloak and the force winded her, but she managed to wriggle out of harms way. He raised his eyebrows.

"That's not an ordinary cloak..." He commented. Zelda smiled slightly, though he couldn't see due to her hood.

"It is made from Yuda hide, and fortified with chain mail. Cutting it won't be easy." Yuda are large, dangerous sea serpents with very tough hides. They were so formidable that even sea kings wouldn't dare attack one.

"Is that so?" He smirked again, and launched himself after her. She blocked left and right, jumping over a downwards sweep, and bending under a head level strike. Zelda was as flexible as a contortionist. She struck her staff over her head, only to belatedly realize the tiny opening she left was enough for the tough man to take advantage of. She yelped as she was sent backwards by his elbow, and rolled out of the way to avoid the swords aimed for her chest. It swing down with such a force and speed that it caught the edge of her chest, leaving a small scratch even through the cloak.

In a flurry of black, she was on her feet and retreated again to the trees. This wouldn't do any good, he was stronger than her right now. It was time she stepped up her game, by either bringing out her scythe or devil fruit.

Evidently, she had to make her choice quick, as the swordsman jumped up into a branch near her and performed his **onigiri** move, nearly slicing her arm in the process. She jumped even farther into the foliage, listening to the crunching noise he made as he sliced up the plants looking for her.

Zelda wasted no time, opening a portal to her room and dropping off the staff, closing it up after removing her desired weapon. Her power disappeared with a flick, and she slipped up to the unsuspecting man, whirling the scythe behind him and pulling it forward. He blocked the wood with his sword, only to gasp in surprise as the blade cut deeply into his side.

He flipped back towards the ground, and gripped his now bleeding side. She followed him down gracefully. The green haired man stared between her and the scythe, no doubt wondering where the new weapon came from.

"Where the hell did that come from?" He mumbled to himself. Zelda spun the scythe between her hand and slammed it down in front of her, the wide end making a loud thud in the dirt.

"This is your last warning. If you retreat now, I won't go any farther with my attacks. This scythe is my best weapon, don't expect it to be as easy to catch me as when I had my staff."

She couldn't be sure if he believed her from her words, the wound in his side, or the special way she held her weapon, but he grinned savagely.

"You're much stronger than I thought. You're a worthy challenge, woman. My name is Roronoa Zoro, the man who will defeat you." He undid the green bandana from his arm, tying it over his forehead instead. He then slowly reached down to the third scabbard and took the sword out, putting it between his teeth.

Amused that he realized her gender, unlike his companions, she gave her name as well. "Grants Zelda. To protect Vivo, I will be the one to defeat you."

After that, all hell broke loose. They were after each other like bullets. Zelda was just as fast as him, and had similar stamina, but he was many, many times stronger than her. If she got a scratch on him, he would retaliate with a blow so strong she would be flown back.

In fact, he was faster than her. At least, faster while she had this cloak on. Zelda thought about the risk as she dodged, blocked, and attacked. Her armor was very protective, but it was heavy. She would be a good deal faster without it, but his strikes, with his third sword cut her even with the cloak.

Making the decision in a split second, the redhead slipped out of the cloak as he caught it with his sword again, using the chance, with all three swords embedded in the tough fabric, cut at his leg, leaving a deep gash across it. He grunted, swinging at her, but she was off in a flash.

"Shit... she's fast" He spoke. For several moments it seemed like she was winning the fight, for indeed he was having trouble keeping up with her.

But then, he got her. "_**Tora Nagashi!**_" He blocked her attack and leaned forward, cutting across her exposed stomach with his mouth sword. Zelda gasped from the pain as blood spouted from the deep wound and she was forced to use her devil fruit power to port away before his first two weapons could reach her shoulder.

"What the.." He gasped slightly at the quick flash of light, turning around to look for her. He looked above just in time to black her scythe. She ported a few feet back as he swung forward, not quite trusting her ability to dodge as fast.

He opened his mouth to question even as he **Onigiri**'d towards her.

"Yes, before you ask. I have eaten the Tabi-Tabi-no-mi, it allows me to teleport." He hmm'd in understanding.

"So this very moment you could warp away from here and escape?" Zoro questioned, blocking yet another vicious swing from her scythe.

"I could. But what kind of guard would I be if I ran from the enemy, letting him have full reign over the very land I am tasked to protect?" I replied. He smiled yet again, looking quite bloodthirsty with the blood dripping from his wounds. Zelda gasped, keeping her balance even with the throbbing pain in her side.

If now was a time to use the life force's energy, it was now. She knew she couldn't use the main one's, its energy took too long to work even when one was perfectly synched to it. However, the piece on her staff was specially modified to give any stored up instantly.

The female guardian's mind fell into the familiar wavelength, eliciting a shine from the gem as she pulled power from it. It took the lost energy right from her gaping wounds and fed some of it back to the wielder. Of course, Zelda was still hurt, but now somewhat restored.

She ran at Roronoa with renewed vigor, and he growled, going on the defensive again. When he struck, the flexible girl dodged and wove between his attacks, leading him into awkward positions that her blade could take advantage of.

Even with the partially returned energy and the use of her devil fruit, the green haired man was decidedly stronger than her. He managed to upturn her best attacks, and got two more good hits on her, one on her shoulder, and the other across her leg, parallel to the cut on his own.

She was forced to her knees in pain, her impressive stamina for a girl of her abilities was blown away by Zoro's own perseverance and strength. Zelda knew she only had one last chance to deter the swordsman. Standing up shakily, for this fight had lasted so long even her scythe could not give her more energy, she concentrated hard.

The Tabi-tabi wielder held her arms out at her sides, Scythe in between them. Her opponent started in confusion as a strange noise hummed through his ears. Portals opened up, all around him, all leading to another portal in the area, seemingly linked up randomly.

Soon there were enough portals that the man saw them everywhere, almost disorienting him.

"_**Kagami Meikyuu**_" She spoke in a low voice. The intruder's eyes whipped back and forth quickly realizing what the attack meant. If this doesn't work... then nothing will, she resolved, before disappearing into one of the portals.

She whipped in between the different windows, having a good memory, and the innate ability to know which of her portals lead to which. Because they were her creation, she always knew where the portal would lead. To Zoro, however, they all looked the same. He crouched into a defensive position, turning so he could be on guard as Zelda slipped in and out of vision.

As he turned to make sure his back was covered, she exploded from in front of him, slamming the spiky base of the blade into his ribs. He grunted in pain but reacted before she could pull away. Zoro slashed the middle of her chest with the weapons in his hand and caught her good shoulder with his mouth blade in a much more devastating blow than her previous stab.

Zelda let out a strangled cry and collapsed, portals vanishing together with a zap of energy. She coughed up a mouthful of blood, painfully bringing her hands in front of her. Her beloved scythe lay to the side, she couldn't help but reach for it in vain.

"Uugghh..." She groaned out, gasping in pain as she managed to shift enough to clasp her weapon and pull it to her body protectively. Roronoa Zoro looked her over, placing his swords in their sheaves and placing the bandana back around his arm. He was in much better shape, but not without damage, and she had definitely made him work up a sweat, that's for sure.

"You were a strong opponent, Grants. Definitely better than the monster I originally was looking for." He addressed the fallen girl, not knowing what else to say. He was after all, the one who instigated the fight when he injured her subjects.

He began to walk away, but no matter how damaged she was, he couldn't let him roam free. What if he were to discover the Life? Summoning what little strength she had left, Zelda ported in front of him, landing in a wary heap. He stopped, regarding her with a raised eyebrow, but keeping his hands on his swords, just in case she had enough fight in her to be a threat still.

"Don't... go any farther. I will protect this land with my life!" She growled at him, glaring at the swordsman fiercely.

"Look, I don't really want anything to do with your island, I was just going to head back to the boats." He seemed sincere, but the way he was heading was almost completely opposite of where he wanted to go.

"Fine." She said simply. "If that is your intent, I can get you to the docks, since you are obviously lost."She said this warily. Though it didn't look as if he was going to finish her off, he was still the enemy and could easily turn on her and slit her throat.

"Hey!" He exclaimed. "I'm not lost; I just don't know where I am..." She gave him a raised eyebrow of her own, before pausing to cough up some more blood. Reaching her hand out, she stretched out a port shakily, leading back to Sentry. His pirate ship was even in sight. Zelda silently prayed that he would just go through and leave her in peace. It would be painful, but the Life Force would slowly heal her wounds enough for her to get to a doctor.

Unexpectedly, with a stab of pain, she felt herself being hoisted over the swordsman's shoulder. She gasped painfully and tried to roll off him.

"W-what are you doing!" Zelda wheezed, wounds becoming aggravated. He shrugged, causing her to spit out a mouthful of blood.

"Taking you to a doctors."

"What the... _why!_" She sputtered, not able to protest against much. Upon seeing that he wasn't going to answer, just before he stepped through her port, she continued, "Wait, my cloak! I can't lose that!" He sighed, but obliged, taking the heavy cloth with his other arm.

"Huh, it's pretty heavy for a cloak, but more flexible than I thought it would be." He commented, draping the outerwear over his shoulder, opposite Zelda.

As soon as he got through the portal, she let it close with relief. The curly redhead turned her sight to the man carrying her.

"You know they aren't gonna let you just waltz in there and drop me off... They'll know you're the intruder, and probably try and chase your crew off the island." Zelda said, resigning herself to the fact that she wasn't going anywhere right now.

Not that she trusted him at all. She was glad that he chose to take the port back, but really wished he would have left her. Who knows where she would end up? Well, maybe, just maybe she could believe him.

It turned out just as she expected. The hooded guards took one look at him, bloody, and with a defeated Zelda over one shoulder, and charged. Luckily Zoro had the sense to dodge rather than attack this time around, leaping onto buildings and avoiding his pursuers.

"Holy crap, don't they realize they could kill you taking swings like that?" Zoro gasped as he leaped far ahead from the swing of a trident. Zelda let herself chuckle, before a sudden move made her yelp in pain.

"They don't... like me much." And she left it at that, ignoring his questioning eye.

"So, where is the hospital around here?" He asked instead. Zelda silently sighed in relief, glad that he wasn't making her answer the question.

"It's that white building to your left and ahead. It's got a cross on its doors." He nodded and turned the indicated direction. Not wasting any time, he dropped her and her cloak down by the doors, banging a window to alert the people inside.

Zelda turned her head slightly to see the green haired man leap away, staying a surprising amount of space ahead despite the injuries she had inflicted on him. _I guess he's just used to taking more damage._

Unfortunately, Zelda could not contemplate much further. The pain from being dropped with her elbow against the wound on her chest pushed her into a world of darkness.

* * *

While Zelda was enjoying blissful unconsciousness, everyone around her was in panic mode. The Guardians, once realizing that their most powerful fighter had been beaten, put their efforts towards repelling the threat. Nami and Vivi, enjoying lunch at a cafe, were quickly thrown out at blade point.

Sanji hadn't fared much better. He was in the middle of flirting with a pretty female Guardian when she heard what had happened and immediately attacked the chef. Usopp was still on the Going Merry along with a sleeping Karoo. He had been thoroughly creep-ed out by the hooded strangers and by extension the entire island, now he knew it was for a good reason.

It didn't take long for the crew to gather. The two females came first, making their way up the ship with angry islanders on their heels. Usopp gave them a confused expression, only to peer behind the two and scuttle back in fear.

"W-what the? I knew there was something bad about this island!" He exclaimed fearfully, following the navigators orders to ready the ship. Sanji was next, using his powerful feet to keep ahead of the crowd, unwilling to stop and fight with the girls possibly at risk. He jumped and cleared the walls, landing easily on the deck of the ship.

"Nami-swan! Vivi-chwan! I'm here to protect you!" He sang, dancing over to the two pirates and making sure they were unharmed.

"Does _anyone_ know why we're being attacked!" Nami snapped, furtively scanning the docks for the last two crew members.

"I don't know, but it probably has something to do with either the marimo or luffy." Sanji replied, looking over the angry Guardians warily. A flash of green caught his eyes, and the first mate leaped into the Going Merry by jumping off the faces of two unlucky guards.

"Hey, shitty swordsman, did you do anything to piss off the guards?" He asked Zoro harshly, daring him to start a fight. In reply the swordsman scowled and crossed his arms.

"I don't need to explain myself to you. She attacked first, anyway..." A vein throbbed in the blond's head.

"You beat up a woman! Stupid marimo!" He was about to lunge at his rival, but was stopped by an annoyed Nami.

"No time for that! Where's Luffy, you guys?" Everyone stopped for a moment and looked around. Sure enough, their captain was nowhere to be found.

"Uuhh.. guys? T-those people are trying to sink us!" Usopp squeaked from his position by the railing of the ship. The Guardians were trying to hack away at the hull of the ship. Their progress had been slowed by the explosive shots of the sharpshooter, doing his best to protect the beloved ship.

"Damn! Usopp, distract them or something! We don't have time to wait for the idiot, he'll have to find us." She barked. Usopp launched a miniature smoke bomb where the docks met the ship, causing the group to pull back, coughing and wheezing.

The Going Merry made a hasty retreat, pulling just out of the forested wall surrounding the island.

"Great, everyone's accounted for except our captain! I wonder what he did this time, of course we couldn't just have a simple visit here! Now we're going to have to sneak back in there because he might be in trouble, he probably got involved with whatever it is they're protecting..."

She drifted off, her angry face changing as she realized something. "Ahh! I wonder if they're protecting treasure? Let's go back!"

"..and of course you're more worried about the chance of money." Zoro stated, rolling his eyes. The greedy navigator retaliated with a smack over the head, which the agile swordsman dodged easily.

"Don't even go there! If Luffy was actually in danger, you wouldn't be here either. As it is, he can handle those guys easily, and protecting the ship is our priority."

"I'm more worried about what he did to piss them off so much!" Usopp joined in on the conversation.

"Yeah..." Nami sighed, " He was causing trouble yesterday but there was a Guardian person with him, he didn't seem to mind it much."

It was at this point that a slightly guilty first mate confessed.

"Well, actually, it's probably something I did that got them all hostile." This earned a dark glare from the navigator.

"_Zoro, what did you do?_" She spoke slowly and dangerously, almost dreading the answer.

"Hey, it's not my fault! They started it by attacking me! Then they were weak so I beat them up! But then after that this woman came, said she was their temporary leader and the strongest on the island. I figured that was my best bet to test my strength."

It was then that the crew belatedly noticed the smudges of blood on his clothes, and the darker patches signaling a wound.

"She was actually really strong, and got some good hits in. She probably would have won if I stayed with two swor-"

He was cut off with a foot to his head.

"Stupid! What are you thinking, wounding a lady like that!" Zoro immediately countered by taking out a sheathed sword and swinging towards the chef. Said chef blocked it with his leg and engaged in a glaring contest.

"She attacked me first, I even dropped her off at a hospital after! It's not as if there were any other way to test my strength around here," he retorted.

"Do you usually do that? Make sure your enemy is taken care of, I mean?" Vivi asked, having listened to the crew dispute.

Zoro let out a grunt, turning from Sanji to the speaker.

"Not really, but I've only really fought people who needed to be beaten. They did something that pissed me off, or they had a bounty and I knew they were bad. This woman only fought because I beat up the ones she had responsibility over, and to protect her island. She actually seemed like a pretty tolerable person, plus she helped me get back to the docks so I figured I may as well not let her bleed to death."

At this point Sanji was fuming. "You beat up a lady, who was only defending her friends! And on top of that, you almost killed her! Shitty swordsman, of all the things you've done.." He continued to rant, speech turning to indignant mumbling.

Nami, on the other hand, groaned and smacked a palm to her face. "Geez, Zoro.. now we're the bad guys, and for a completely legitimate reason! And now a person who even you had trouble fighting is after us!"

Usopp and Nami shuddered in tandem at her last sentence.

"Actually, she seemed mostly protective of the island. If we left, I doubt we would be followed. And I doubt she will be recovered enough to do any harm in the next six days." Zoro reasoned, though still fending off an enraged Sanji.

"Besides." he added, "I'd just beat her up again". Everyone ignored the enraged scream let off by Sanji.

"True," Nami grumbled. "And I guess if you could handle the strongest with difficulty, then Luffy is in less danger than I had worried. Still, if he doesn't find us by tonight, someone will have to look for him. And we need to find a way back or the logpose won't reset."

"Well, actually, as long as we stay in between those rocks sticking out and the island we should be fine for the logpose. You see, those were once part of the island, but got broken off in some catastrophic event. As a result, the magnetic field is extended to the spars of rock." Vivi, being knowledgeable about the grand line, explained.

"Oh, that's a relief!" The navigator sighed happily.

"All we have to do then is wait for Luffy. After Ms. Allsunday warned us, I've been waiting for something really bad to happen. It's nice to know we can handle it."

"That's been bothering me, actually." Vivi replied to Nami's speech. "I don't think she would have said something like that if all there was to worry about were the cloaked ones. She at least had an idea of Zoro's strength after the mess at Whiskey peak, so it couldn't have been underestimating us."

"Awww, Viiiviii! I was almost worry free! Now you have to go and make me all paranoid again, damn you!" She groaned, knocking her own head against a wall.

"Okay", Nami shouted, suddenly all business. " I would just leave Luffy to find us himself, but it seems there may be something more sinister about this island. So, who would like to volunteer to re-infiltrate the island?"

All too quickly Nami and Usopp shouted "Not me!" Sanji grumbled about "stupid captain", and Zoro just complained that he wanted to sleep because he was injured.

Vivi softly spoke up, "Oh, well if no one else wants to... I could try-"

"No! I can't let you endanger yourself, Vivi-chwaaan! I will be your night in shining armor, and rescue the idiot!" The flirtatious chef shouted enthusiastically.

"aaand.." Sanji added with a smirk to Zoro, "I'll find him way faster than the spatially challenged marimo too." This caused an immediate reaction, in the form of an undignified shout of anger.

"Oh, don't worry Zoro. You just stay here and lick your wounds." Sanji taunted. Zoro turned a unique shade of enraged red.

"That's it! I'm coming with you, stupid cook! I'm perfectly capable of navigating a rainforest!"

Nami interrupted with a sigh. "Yes, yes, go ahead. Let's pull up to the side of the entrance here. You'll have to either climb over that plant wall, or swim around it. And Zoro? Try not to open your wounds up. We can't exactly go to the hospital here."

Zoro grunted and shook his shoulders, knowing he had sustained worse. He took one last glare at Sanji, and leaped over the railing of the ship. Sanji was not far behind, and the two raced off towards the shore.

"Men and their testosterone", Nami complained. "Nothing better happen here. I want an island with nothing life-threatening, for once!" Usopp agreed fervently, while Vivi smiled in sympathy. Having grown up on the Grand Line, she knew just how hard that could be sometimes.

"Well, we can only hope..."

* * *

A/N and thats it! I dont have a good reason for taking this long for an update. Since I don't have a good reason, there isn't a point in explaining myself. But just so everyone knows.. I'm not giving up on this story. If I do give up, I want to at least finish Zelda's recruitment arc (what? You mean she doesn't join the crew at the snap of a finger! What nonsense is this?)

Yep, I want to make her as much like an actual character would be like, none of that silly scenario where they somehow bump into the strawhats or appear on the deck and reveal some cool power and luffy is just like "join my crew" and they just go "okay, sure."


End file.
